Three thoughts: Sharks are actively shopping for a fourth line center

By Paul Gackle, Bay Area News Group

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

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DENVER — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer made clear Saturday night that his top need headed toward the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline is acquiring a bonafide fourth line center. Apparently, he and general manager Doug Wilson are on the same page.

The Mercury News has learned from sources that the Sharks are actively shopping for a center to plug the glaring hole in the middle of their bottom line.

The Sharks fourth-line center problem is a by-product of Patrick Marleau’s departure to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the offseason. DeBoer yanked Tomas Hertl out of the third line center position just three games into the season to help replace Marleau’s scoring punch on Logan Couture’s left wing. He then moved Chris Tierney into the middle of the third line, opening up a hole on the fourth line.

The Sharks had initially hoped that former-Barracuda standout Ryan Carpenter would be the answer to the fourth line center headache, but the team waived him on Dec. 12 after just 29 games. In the aftermath, Danny O’Regan, Joel Ward and Barclay Goodrow have all failed to close the rotating door at fourth line center.

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With 14 games in February and 15 more in March, the Sharks will need to find an answer to this problem, so they can roll four lines on a nightly basis, wear teams down and keep their top-end players fresh down the stretch.

2. With that in mind, DeBoer and Wilson must be crossing their fingers in hopes that defenseman Paul Martin will convince someone that he can still play during his showcase with the AHL Barracuda.

At this point, Martin might be the only asset that Wilson can afford to package in a trade if he wants to acquire a center that can give the Sharks a real matchup edge at the bottom of the lineup.

As I mentioned last week, trading backup goalie Aaron Dell is no longer a viable option in lieu of Martin Jones’ struggles since his return from a minor injury on Dec. 2. The idea of trading a young defenseman, such as Tim Heed, Dylan DeMelo or Joakim Ryan, is off the table, as well, now that the Sharks have given up on Martin. The Sharks will need seven usable defensemen down the stretch.

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In addition, Wilson made it clear back in December that he won’t part ways with any of his young forwards. The Sharks are without second and third-round picks in the 2018 NHL Draft, as well, so it seems unlikely that he’ll swing a multi-player deal to bring in a fourth line center while also filling the team’s need for more scoring depth up top.

Fortunately for the Sharks, fourth line centers aren’t the most-expensive pieces on the board. If Martin can prove he still has something left in the tank, Wilson might be able to satisfy his desire for a trade and solve the fourth line puzzle without giving up another draft pick.

3. The Sharks decision to place Martin on waivers this week certainly speaks to the team’s depth on the backend.

At the same time, it’s becoming abundantly clear that the team still has a blue line hole in Martin’s former-spot to the left of Brent Burns. Right now, the Sharks have a pair of elite defensemen in Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, a serviceable top-four blue liner in Justin Braun and a handful of third pairing guys.

The deficiency was obvious during the Sharks recent five-game road trip when Burns and Brenden Dillon posted a minus-six rating as a pairing.

The issue inspired DeBoer to replace Dillon with Ryan this week as the rookie defenseman played well alongside Burns early in the season.

Ryan’s game is well suited for the role of Wookie whisperer and he might just be the longterm solution to this issue. But it’s a big ask to expect Ryan to fill a veteran like Martin’s shoes is his rookie year.

Regardless, Ryan believes he’s better suited for the role now than when his first run as Burns’ partner ended on Nov. 24.

“After being apart from him for a little bit, I feel more comfortable in my game,” Ryan said. “I also feel like I know how I need to play differently with him to be successful.

“You’ve got to always assume the worst, be a little more cautious, because Burnszie is unique and a little unpredictable.”

DeBoer would certainly be pleased if Ryan were to grab hold of Martin’s former-job, but he’s also realistic about his expectations for the up-and-coming blue liner.

“That’s going to be a fluid situation all year,” the Sharks coach said. “You’ve got young guys you’re plugging in and they’re a little erratic. You get great games and you get average games. It’s on us to recognize when a guy needs to take a step back or someone else needs to go in and help the Burnses of the world out.”